Louisville hotspot

The Louisville hotspot is a volcanic hotspot responsible for the volcanic activity that has formed the Louisville seamount chain in the southern Pacific Ocean.

Location

The Louisville hotspot is believed to lie close to the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, although its exact location is, however, uncertain. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=JaV8V8mufhoC&pg=PA19&dq=louisville+hotspot&source=web&ots=OejnIPTfR3&sig=exdlrl5aubsWjieD21IrQYw06a8&hl=en Mantle plumes and their record in earth history] ]

Geological history

The Louisville hotspot has produced the Louisville seamount chain, which is one of the longest seamount chains on Earth, stretching some Unit km|4300|0Vanderkluysen, L.; Mahoney, J. J.; Koppers, A. A.; and Lonsdale, P. F. (2007). [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.V42B..06V Geochemical Evolution of the Louisville Seamount Chain] , American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #V42B-06.] from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge where it subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate as part of the Pacific Plate.

The Louisville hotspot is believed to have been active for at least 80 million years based on age of the Louisville seamount chain, which is comparable to that of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, although the rate of volcanism at the two chains are relatively different and the Louisville chain has a relatively small bend unlike the Hawaiian-Emperior chain. During the Early Oligocene period, the Louisville hotspot's magma source rate was much steadier than the Hawaii hotspot rate, and had a lower total volume in eruption. During the Late Oligocene, the magma source decreased to a small fraction of that in the Hawaiian-Emperior seamount chain such that none of the volcanoes emerged above sea level in the past 11 million years. The Louisville seamount chain is only half as wide as the Hawaiian-Emperior seamount chain. Therefore, unlike the Hawaii hotspot, the Louisville hotspot is believed to have decreased in activity with time.

References